Can-closing machine



p 1950 w. B. PETERSON, JR. ET AL CAN CLOSING MACHINE 4 Sheet sSheet 1 Filed June 22. 1948 INVENTORS N W/LL/AM a. PETERSON JR. GEORGE. a. K058 5' BY ATTORNEY p 1950 w. B. PETERSON, JR, ET AL 2,521,306

CAN CLOSING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 22 9 IIIIIIII'III'.

-.r IIIIIIIIIIIA zzzfil EWIIJ w IN V EN TOR.

5- WILLIAM B. PETERSON, JR;

650/765 6- KOgfRLE Q.

ATTORNEY Sept. 5, 1950 w. B. PETERSON, JR, ET AL CAN CLOSING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 22, 1948 INVENTORS B. PETERSON JR. 6. KOEB?E.

M ATTORNEY WILLIAM GEORGE --Ih1s-- invention relateslto a I provement in vacuum closing machines for open ohiinetshouldget out of order. I

Patented Sept. 5, 1950' a can l a cori og 'ilbn f Nev a v new and usefu im- A- principal ohjeot of' the inve ntio his: 1 P

vide a vacuum closing machine into which} open,-

oeberlg; San

in aqhorizontal; ciust nentv filled cans and covers therefor may be fed through rotary valves so designed that prior to the, time 'a' "cover has--seated thereupon thecans move in a horizontal plane in a smoothly. tcur letd: 1 1.1%

I having armini mum deflection from a straighl il e' at a hea'rly constant speed with uniformacceleration and deceleration from such speed, thereby greatlymed-using the .-.tendeney of the conten of the'cans to spill as the resultof abi uptichan es in direction or velocity of movement. m-Another principal 01916013301. vthe i ivger tion is the holding .ofthe cans and the covets-Wit in their" respective valves in such mannerthatthe edges of the cans and coversdo not wear grooves in the housings of the =valves= through which air mayleak into the machinei nether object 0f the invention is: the Ipro-s vision of mag'nets within pockets-Moi rotating tuni 'ets of the machine, said magnets attracting thecans and 'covers'within the-pocketsand holde ing them against outwarddisplacement from i centrifugal: forceau Because of the .magnets at: tracting :the loans .andyxcoversrinto the rotating turrets tor at leastathe last portion of their travel then'einto, no Imechanioail devices arerequired to mo've these components into said turrets. and no portion of one rotating ,par-t intersects the path of tnavel .oi-any other: notatins inert and no s qnentlymhereis nodangeriof blrfi ikflgeflf v ihfi parts of the tmachineioy one tpartstriking a ains .of-the ma.-

ano herein theevent that the timing Another object ofthe invention is thentov i-sibn Qf=,. Iami-ac,tuated iejector levers within the pockets ofqthe rotary tan andccover valves to eject such components at the proper ztimeandqalso to contro1..1m 0vement ;of the cans intoand from :the can valve at uniform acceleration and (130618139;-

' tion, therebyreducing thettendency of the contentstofzth nanstolspillq A ,ziu tzh tobiqtof 1 e ve tion :is :the; pro:-

- moved u w lzd y nd s ow;

San Frami5 w. loses/ 518 rs I ,t pat fit n Comp San E an soai? i erial 34,506

Path .t ttrt a.. fat at p ovision of change fi rt steiid @8 19 FM W i hm v he easily and apisl inst l ed r matte,

tha "the machine ma cacspmm de e f f fi erent hei hts a s iameters with mi iil' hat the theemtiency of th ma hine and set uum pumps-if t mach i ep reis la sfib'w stantia-ll-v the v ame newer emc scy re ardless of the sizecanl; golose d. I h

=entities obi o h nv ntipnis t Pr vision .otfian adjustment of the rotary valve Winch ed h eo r so that sai va ve and the 92? nal mechanism associated therewith] may. be

covers a e .fed mi the ma ine a ll y. Seabed attvttn top tithe wa which s set ema e qoasta i kne ardl ss the height-= t h ats bein -closed a An the obieot 9 h pr s nt i vent n ist i use of, two separate valves -1ocated resge @f rolm each o h on v ly ltnan rrr t 22 39 th Yew-1 m hamber and a s transferrmg 9 t? we t w th th QQVBITS n e ve 1 1 231 15 t w i -i ano her ob ec p ihe v ntion i the o an zat on ci-ihe a ts oi h ta l l ms amf ruch manne tha the eeth Whiq the dpil to tr els 1 9m its en r n int t at??? Qh ne 4 0th? qi ta ic th wre seets we? 1 se t a s am i li {the sweet e? o e strai ht 1 t sss siie s be a s o e totary mo'vementof the turrets on vvhichthegans aret ed. a e mieimume g smooth y l et w tesult a sent chees in men e a sle and nce t A .1 q aiests th ten t wi 1 t :1. W9 Thesullstani a i ra shtlitemov m the can is mad Qsih ;.-in t etmeasvisionilof adjustments 0f1'11f1e clearancesanfuthe' chine-and also to compensate for variations? in rotating;and= stationany ;partsiof 1the, -cfan and 7 cover valves to compensate for wear cofvlthe. ma:

v scosity oith iliquid Contents onthet a s which ;might have, spilled and, upon being deposited betw en ath can valve rotor-and Ql i ,0al1Se binding @betwe n t-s ch relative y mnv ahletpa ts, it? ,.a di io a ad ustmentsotthatthe pa lin th us th ocation Of the vac ivea.ant-s int z ersttemo t r mfih ir dmit inst xis an thilmii id n the t. tdin tof par-ts wh c would e u m h i 'a common ent an e v lve:

Eure us o .-.seoa qat a vessf anskand cove on s tha t teens wi :he suhieetedto he vflsmim existin 1 in thetvacuum oham-berifor an extended Aperiodofttime before the covers are placed in contacbtherewith .andlh'ence assures than the :air in :the .cans will -:be fully evacuated rdly so that the to economize (on the amount of work and powerrequired to create the desired degree" of vacuunr The operation of the mov- I I ing parts of the machine itself likewise requires within the machine.

a minimum of power, and this is another object of the invention. Further objects are the relatively low cost of manufacture, operation and repair of the machine, and theconvenience with i which the machine may be'adjustedfor variations in sizes of cans with consequent reduction in change-over costs. '1

The increasing use of vacuum packing, par:

ticularly of food products, by canners because of the resultant reduction in deterioration of the products duringstorage has led to the develoD- ment of machines for seaming the covers to the cans while the cans are subjected to a vacuum. It is now common practice to use machines having conventional seaming mechanism enclosedin a vacuum chamber, but the problems which up until the present invention have not been successfully solved are to feed the cans and covers therefor into the machine so that the covers will be properly aligned on the cans prior to seam ing yet the cans will be subjected to sub-atmospheric pressure for a sufficient period of time fully to exacuate the air in the cans and to move the cans through the machine so as not to cause spilling ofthe contents. I

One common expedient is the use of a clinching machine outside the vacuum seamer which partially fixes the cover on thecan'." One disadvantage of this method is the'necessityof-using spilling is considerably reduced and accessibility to the inlet valves improved.

The various other expedients which have heretofore been adopted have other inherent disadvantages not present in the machine embodying the present invention and; theadvantages of the present invention;*some of' Which' -ar set forth in the preceding statement of the objects of the invention, are not present in such other mah ne With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set'forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference 'beinghad' to the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. l is a schematic horizontal sectional view of "the machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the can valvetaken substantially along the line .2-2-"of Fig.1; I

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the cover valve taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; I e I I Fig. '4 is a vertical section through the feed turret;

' Fig. 5 is a plan of guide rails associated with said feed turret;

Fig. 6 is an elevationof the structure of Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is an elevation of the machine as'a whole; and l I Fig; 8 is a sectionshowing the can ejector lever and associated mechanism, taken along the line a separate clinching machine both fro-mastandpoint of cost and of floorspace occupied; "Another-disadvantage is the fact that the results obtained with such machines are poor and, further, non-uniform. Iftheamount'of air in the can is small, the diiference between its pres sure' and that of the vacuum chamber maybe insuflicient to raise the cover from contact with the can and hence the air may be incompletely evacuated. On the other'hand, if there is a great difference in pressure between the contents of the can and the vacuum chamber, the force with which the cover is raised above the can maybe so violent that thelip of the curled cover flange may seal with the underside of the can fiange'an'd hence the air will be incompletely evacuated. Or, the force may be so great as to blow the cover ofi the can entirely. All of these disadvantages ofthe use of a clincher are eliminated in the present invention. I i V Another expedient is thefeeding of the cans and covers into the vacuum chamber through a common rotary valve, but this results in a crowding of the mechanism positioning the cover and can with respect to each other within the pockets of the rotor, which preventstravel of the open can in a substantially straight line and results in abrupt changes in the direction of travel of the can with consequent danger of spilling out of the contents, particularly if the contents or a part thereof consists of liquid. The crowding of the cover and can feed mechanisms adjacent the inlet valve also makes diflicult access to the valve for inspectiomadjustment or repair. In the present invention the covers are fed into the machine through a valve remote from the can valve and as a result the likelihood of 8--8 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a cover magnet used in the cover valve andin the feed turret.

General description of operation By way of general description of the operation of the machine which embodies the present invention, itmay be said that there is provided a. vacuum chamber into which open cans 2| and covers 22 therefor are fed through separate turret valves, that within, the chamber is a common turret onto which both the cans and covers are fed from their respective turret'valves so that each can and its cover may assume vertical alignment, and that also within the chamber is a conventional seaming turret and associated seaming mechanism for double-seaming the cover to the can, to which seaming turret the cans and covers are transferred from the common turret. In its course through the machine prior to. the time that the cover is placed thereupon, the open top can advances in a horizontal, level plane and the center of the can follows a smoothly curved path with an absolute minimum of deflection from a straight-line, and the velocity of the can is as colse to constant as is practicable, with accelerations and decelerations from said constant velocity being uniform. As a result of this movement of thecan, the possibility of spilling the contents thereof is reduced far below that of conventional vacuum seamers. Another feature of the machine is the use=of magnets in various pockets. of the turrets to attract the cans and covers into the turrets and hold such components therein against centrifugal force.

' machine along a suitable conveyor 23 in spaced and timed relationship. As each can passes the momma-a t acia-tn ithevfieed turretctos point-E h 10.

emi heivertical i .c

' h r If m l o hawn I nismhwflhnob :be' desq i btefit l.

, 'stnuotinnsbeinew; undexstocnobn mommies it defieotsithe levervouta weirdly; the operatiom of: the lever not: attestin theprogress on the can "along the conueycmrbut setting inoperati-on-the iieeding: into the machine I of a cover zzwhich subsequentiyzwill be attached to=the con-. 'I 'hedescriptiomotlthe ieeding 'i'of ithe cover will ba deferted; however; zitr'shouldt be pointem-out thati'a si fie coverfed in toeithe 1 machine for every c'angr that no; "can; enters the nachine; nc -cover: willi-baftidQfifidithus the m" possibiiityiofi ai-canvnot beingtcovered on of" a cover: jamming the 5 machine. because there is. i no cani onwhich it may: seat. iseliminatedr At: point IEL the can: is-ftransferred from the conveyor; 23

to- 'rotating' feed' sta'n 26 anai' is-xdirectedi intotthe can val-ve housing 21 in an arcuate; path betweenv shattand starrotate, asviewedz fromiabove as in Figilaina, c1=ochwise direction s Lhe'shaftiihas a: gear (not; shownl aiiflxedi to itstlower end', which gear" is driven by at-suitableelectrie-motor through a gear train. (not shownl; -It will. be understood thataalt of the various roiaaia-iln tux.-

rets: anctwstars'i. hereinatter described; are also driven throughsaidgear train, their direction of rotation, speedandspacinaivith respect .to each other being controlled by proper selection-- and positioning of driVingendi driven gears andidlers.

The direction' -loff rotation: of: said rotating; parts 30 iS ShOWn' by appropriate-arrowsin Figs. 1; t

.Atitpoint C the Isa-mis transierred intohone. of the? several radiativdi'sposedf pockets 325 ins the can valve-rotor 33; through-an opening" St in. can

vaivahousing 21". Through: the instrumentality 35 of a, vacuum pump (not shown); aipowerfrul vacuum is V drawn the: housing; 36 of the machine with which the=-canv valve housing;- 25'! communicates; so thatoncethepooket (20mimu-nicates with. housing; 36;;the: cansiszsubi cted to:' a vacuum: which evacuatesathe air;- imthezqaz i until its discharge firom the machine. throu h opening: 34. One-otztheyfeatmsesaofithe pre en invert-fiends; therminimizihgz oflthe. amount which result. is efiectedi by reducing so'far'aasiposr sible the amount: oi: air -whichyerttersnt e 5110,118- ingr-through-the canianicoyen va1iz s:-. The con-- struction of the can Valve;- rotor r 333: involves I a number. ornovehanimnortant features, and, 5.0

therefore, thisgmembcc ibe sepaizatels escribed: hercinafiten; ,Thecanis; carr eirin m canq-vahze rotor pocket; aroundiz to at-pint D, whence: it;- is fiencedi out" and.v 'tii tfifitl: by guide rails satanoum;into aipocketoz ofvieeeiturret Hits the e-meanseiore ejectingqthe; ca rem; thev valve mtor'rai o-beine deseribedir latertwt specific oimc eidownwasa fir s n e v the-malts: or tucipresentint it ont Susie hsr det x s, 1.

a "swim- I fl'il qailn a ignmen on o -i A ietam; the o5 hanisms-tocause the-cote s mg I t cgst cls neatvattiiues bisparrticuiar ieatuneis-not one o the: aiit. x: Havihgrheen few-vertically downward, 'thegcovenissmoued tQ-point Girompoint-E by the reciprocating transfer: finger: A6; Said; finger teciproc'ates: in ancarcuateipath: about. its. shaft vit"! asva pivot, andg itishould Joe uncle rstood. that the reciprocation of: theqfinger' is icontimious i; and, in clioseiy: itimedflrelationship. with irespecr to; n the various 1 rotating. parts of the machinesandothat 7 its actuation is notz'dependentuponldetiectioncof ttip leven .2 4 POihblGi is: an; optional. station; but

asshownainil iigi L, the-cover momentarilyicqmes' toriies hatr such point andna suitable marker: 68

may stamp-tor: embossath'e coverwitha; code symb'or soithatztho contentsoof; the-can may be idem tiiiedwafter-z:packingi The. construction amt-Lenore ation of; such markers is; also; weil knowni in I the artsand-i hence'not describedahereim After sum;- ci'e nt time e1apsedz. for:.-thel:marking operation, the\ 'coven is pickeckupi loy'one of: the arms: .49: of rotating: star 5k and: moved: intiowonezoi the points through; opening? Sitirithe cover; valve housing-fitwhich also commimicates: wtthamain housing: 3.6.; The cover is: retained. position ouringiitsitr aveiirom pointih-to .pointstixby cover guiderail'si 5:! amass; I x

vThe .cover is carried around in the valve.:mtor 53 fromspoint H to pointilsaind thence ejected, and because the. construction of said...-va1ve rotor; in.- volue novelist and. important, features aodetail ed siescfip ipn. there f is-deterred; Ajt pointflIyti-ile I c ver tifansferred into. a oocketiaom eed turrets 4 I saidtocket being; the same pocket nto wh chl he corresponding canto'which the cover Y will oe, attached; subsequent1y,.,transferred at if tIIi.1v Guide rails EH-Landl 6'1 assist infmaim taining flthencovero inproper horizontal position. The constructionof the guideurailscfia and iii and turret 41 also subsequently; described-in AtpointV-Epthe can zlanditsicover-n arein a iiggom'ent although, as will appear, the cover s elevated. above the can, The can .and itgcoyen travel. in such, alignment to point; J at yg ich; poi their; path of travel. intersects the Gimulat'pathof the conventional seaming v-chucks fiz andilifter-chucks (not shown) of seamingtturr ret,,6f3 and. the can and cover areytransterredfto said Seaming turret, being; guided, thereto, by guide rails t4 and. 59,.-Bl.. The, construction and, ogeration-of such seaming chucks; and lifters also seaming rolls 66. associated therewith are conventionaltand well known in this art; It vi i-1L be sugfiiicient to, state! that the ljiiteri chucks taise the cannuntil, at;v point Jth-cover seats on the cani and at: point Kv the two components are clamped Ltqgethe between the lifter and seaming v prel minary seaming. operation. v is. performed by oneiofhseaming-r rolls .56. between. oints :K'anii L @IlQbfibWGIl-QQHES L andmM the. finallseaming one zation .is norformed.by, anotheroseaming r011 0 :At point Nfthe. lifter chuck beginsltoi lower the can untiLpointflQ reached,- whenfthe dis;- chargeflturret fiflgdiizetts the closedtcan lfialfrom the, seaming; turret 6.73 and the, can, guided mean.- f while loyrails'ilfiqandtfl It; is carri'edpto. point Fan'd foot-into a pockettz .ot. can valveqrotor. 33. v The roton carries; he can around onpoint Ql whence 1;? ti ed h ischargeastar IZQa'ndcarIied aroun Tpkgpliq ideifQr nSQQctioniandsi epairiancisalso unis dischatged thr ugh pening-3A. in housin transierizeatto antg'suitahle cpnveyorst 7.: parts used to adapt the machinelto cans of vari-. ous heights and diameters, the housing vt6 is provided with'a plurality of doors (not shown) -suite ably positioned to afford access to .the interior. of the machine; ,Gan valve housing 21 and cover valve housing 56 may also be opened to provide access to the interior of the housing and are "sealedclosed by means of latches 13 to makethe housing substantially air-tight.

Also,' in order to accommodate cans of varying heights, the entire sub-assembly consisting of'the cover'feed stack 43, marker 48 and cover feed valve 53 together with their associated housing 56 and driving mechanism is made vertically adjustable. As seen in Fig. 7, a screw 1.4 is fixed to housing 56 and is providedwith a nut 16 which bears against a pillow block fixed to the main portion-of the machine. By. rotating nut .16 the sub-assembly may be raised'and lowered so. that the covers will be fed into the machine at the proper level for the height of can being closed;

The foregoing description has been confined to a vacuum seamer. The same structure may be used if the packing is done at greater than atmospheric pressure, and, of course, the machine I could, if desired, be operated at atmospheric pressure.

w Cam valve The construction of the rotary can valve is shown'in' Figs. land 2'and partially in Fig. 8. The purpose of .th'evalve is to feed cans 2| into the vacuum chamber with the admission of as little accompanying air as possible and in such a smooth and controlled manner as to reduce the spilling of the contents of the can to a minimum Thevalve serves a further function of feeding closed'cans 68 out of the vacuum chamber. i The can valve rotor 33 is provided with a plurality'of radially disposed pockets 32, six pockets as shown in Fig. 1, into which cans may, be'p sn tioned. The rotor is mounted on a gear-driven, vertically disposed shaft 8| for rotation there with" and its outer} peripheral surface 82 revolves within the'inner surface 83 of housing '21'with arunning'clearance of 0.003 to 0.005 inch. An oil film is deposited-by an automatic lubrlcator (not shown) between the two surfaces'for lubrication and also to efiect an air-tight seal there'- surface 83 of housing 21. The liquids deposited incan's, during the filling operation are of various types, such as sugar solutions of various concentrations, and the viscosity of such liquids varies and evaporation of the water content, may make them quite sticky. In order to eliminate the tendency of the rotor 33 to bind in the nunsing 2'! as a result of deposit of viscous liquids between the rotating members, provision is made for adjustment of the clearance between such members, and such adjustmentalso may be made to accommodate gradual wearing of the parts after flprolonged use of the machine. In order tojp'rovide'for the aforementioned adjustment of clearance, both the outer surface 82 of 'the rotor and the inner surface'83 of the housing are m'achined at a taper so thatthe surfaces are in fact frusto-conical, and the rotor is vertically adjust- "able on its shaft 8|, whereby the clearance may be varied by raising'or lowering the position of the rotor with respect ztonthe housing; The shaft, is supported-for rotationtin -thehousin by in s 84 and fl6. at the top andwbottom, respectively, and the. upper zendnfathe, shaft is threadedand provided withfax nut- 87 and lock" nut-"88c; The nut 81 is itightenedor; loosened against the inner race of,bearing;-8.4.;and hence shaft-8| ,and rotor 33,; keyed and pinned thereto ;may.. be raised @401 loweredrg;.;In..orde1ti;tog insurethat the path :,of the canrintdandfrom the-pocketsof the'rotor is smooth, the bottom. walll89 of each,- pocket, on which the. can .rests .during its passage through the valve, isprovided with shims 9 I, the number and thickness, .of which may be adjusted to come pensatei for theiraising and loweringof the rotor.

One ofthe principal featuresof the valve rotor is theuse, of ,apermanent ,1nagnet 92 in each pocket to.draw,.the can ,toward the center, ofthe rotor,.. thus-5 performing two. functions: :Firsa the magnet: completes Lthez drawing of the can I into the valveiand therefore,,the; fingers93 of .star 26 needalnelveri extend. inside ;;housing 21 and hence 'thereisnoschance ofth'e fingers contact,- ing rotorr33. inthe event that thetimingof the rotor'andstar should accidentally come outiof adjustment;. otherwise seriousedamage. to the machine might result. Second, the magnet overcomes the centrifugal force operating on the can and holds .the can in its proper position in the pocket instead of.allowing ithe-Jbead 94 of the bottom seamisof the can to wear againstvthe 1 inner surface of thehousing, thus the tendency which exists in other-machines.- for the head to wear a groove .inthe housing'is overcome and is eliminated. -L V v The permanent magnets 92 in each pocketare U-shaped with the extending legs pointed radially outwardly and disposed one above the-other. The magnet isheld on the rotor by non-magnetic screws 96and a spacer 91 of brass or other nonmagnetic material isinterposed between the'base The magnet is strong enough in intensity to pull the filled can the consequent leakag of air through suchgroove into the-pocket of rotor 33 and to holdthe can in innermostlposition against centrifugal force.

Each pocketofthe rotor is fitted with change parts which may be changed for cans of different heights and diameters. So that the magnet may attract the can into the pocket without tendency of the contents of the canto spill, the magnet itself maybe changed to accommodate cans of different heights by using magnets having different distances between the horizontally disposed legs so thatthe lower leg will be about th same distance above the bottom of the'can as the top leg is below the top of-the can." Further, so as to accommodate-cans of'different diameters, the

spacer 9'! may Ice-changed so that the can is drawn into the pocket just far enough so that the lower bead 94 of the can-clears th inner surface 83 of-the' housing 21 without-rubbing thereagainst.

So as-to economizeonpower, it is desirable that as little air be drawn into the machine withthe can as possible, yet the pockets 32 must be made high enoughtoaccommodate tall as well'asshort cans. In order'to displacethe air which would otherwise 'befdrawn' in" with a short can, "spacer 98 is fastened to the top'wall 99 ofpocket 32 to take up'fmost o'f-the space'b'etween' the top of the can andth'e top wall 'o'f t'h'e pocket, such spacer being'changeablefor "van-ous heights of cans. Below spacer -98 'is h'old -down plate I 0 I fastened thereto, which just clears'the top of 'the' 'can and thereby overcomes an tendency of the contents carries a cam-engaging roller [341' The roller is confined for movement within a groove cam'l36 the 'ejector, lever is retracted as the pocket pa es cover into the feed turret. p I n Feed turret and cover guide rails The' feed turret 4| receives covers '22 at point I and open top cans 2| at point D and carries them around to pointJ where they are discharged into the'seaming turret $3. C'overs are held within the radially disposed pockets 39 of the turret by magnets Ml (see Fig.9), but to (insure against displacement of the covers prior to arrival'at point J, arcuate guide rails 59'and- 6| are-"provided as asafety factor to preserve the horizontal position ing" 'of'the covers so that the covers may'iioat between said rails. 1

Ihe feed turret, fixed to shaft I43, "shown" in Figsfl and 4, has'a plurality of radially disposed pockets l lz'into whichthe cans'and'covers fit and'theturret constitutes one of the change parts of the machine since it may be interchanged to accommodate cans of different"diameters and heights. It should be mentioned, as has tee previously stated, that the cover fe'ed valyerotor 53; together with marker 48 andhousing 56 is'ver-f' tically adjustable so that the covers will alwaysbe fed into the machine atthe proper'h'eight to fit intothe feed turret regardlessl pr the "height'lof the cans to which they are to be attached, 7 I The feed turret 4| consists essentially of two parts, one part consisting oftwo horiziontal lyfdis posed flanges I44 and M6 pocketedltoreceivefcan bodies and the other part, positioned above the f rst part being pocketed to receive the covers for the cans. The cover part .carries two magnets 14! for each'pocket designed r engage nd' hold inwardly the 'edgeof the cover against centrifugal force occasioned by rotation of-Qthe turret the' covers resting on a horizontal, pocketed ledge l4 5 of: turret 4|. v Thus rotation of the feed turret carries the cover andcan around to point J1 r The magnets MI tend to hold the covers hori-' zontal," but to insure suchw positioning dfjthe covers, a vpair of arcuate horizontally disposed guide rails 59 and 6| spacedvertically one ,above theother are positioned tosurround' a portion of the feed turret and the portion ofthe edge ofthe cover opposite that portion of thefedge which is held within the turret by magnets UH moves with! in the space betweensaid rails, as shown in Fig, 4;, The guide rails '59 and 6! are spaced one above theother by guide spacers I41 and [4 8, Itwill be noted that guide rails 59'and 6| are cut away at l 4 9as shown particularly in Fig. 5 so asto clear therotor 33 of the can valve adjacentpoint D. It will also be noted that the guide rails are cut awayat l5! soas to 'clear the can and'cover as they. are moved upward by the ascending lifter chuck to engage the seaming chuck 62 at point 'JQ "point 1H and projected at point I to discharge he "of the housing so that by 'tighte'ning one screw 12 'Byfreason of this'cutting away of the guide -rails atl49jthe' guiderails alone cannot be relied upon to 'pre'ser'vethe horizontal position of the covers. Therefore magnets HI are theprincipal factors in holding the cover's'horizontal an the'gu ide rails are auxiliary thereto. What is claimed is: 3 f

" '1'." A rotatable turret for a can 'sea'r'ning machine having a plurality of pockets shaped'to receive at least a'p'ortion of one oi the c'binponentsof a sealed j can, said components including an" open canand a cover therefor, andainagnet disposed within a pocket to draw one iof 'sa'i'd' "components into said pocket and hold said component against displacement by centrifugalforce." V p 29A rotatable valve turret fogrfa can seaming machine having a plurality of po' '1: "tsshape d' to receive at least'a' portion of one 'of'th' coinponents of a sealed can, said cemponenr clud ie 'antpen can and a cover therefor, magnet disposed within a pocket to draw one of aid coin ponents'into' said pocket and hold said component against displacement by centrifugal force," ejector lever movable "in said pocket to eject said component againstfthe force of attraction arena magnet, and v means to actuate said" ejector lever'. 3., A rotatable valve turret "forf af'can seamr g machine having aplurality of pockets sh eceive .1 at l as a pc si 3 x' i pone'nts' of a sealed ca saidtco'm ponents memo ing an open can 'anda' cover ther e for," a magnet dis'posed'within a pocliet todraw one of saidcbm'e ponents into said pocket and hold said component against, displacement I by centrifugal" f roe; an 1' eet'or1leve imove b e n ai e r eie i'd component against the force of attraction o fs'aid magnet, and cam means actuated b 'rotati'o'n oi said pockets.

5'. A can valve, .f or conveying cans from one zone "to another zone of differentpressuracom prising, 'ahousin'g having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within said housingfand having a plurality of can-receiving pockets therein, a can-attracting jmagnet'within one of said pockets, and a magnet 'spac erfbetwn said m' net and said rotor. i H

6. .A canvalve for conveying "cans fromio ne zone to'another zone ofidifi'erent pressurecoinprising, a, housing having at least twolopenings therein, arotorlrotatable within said'housingf'and having a plurality of can receiving ppcketsfthere' in, a can-attracting magnet within one ofs'aid pockets, and a spacer vertically positioned rein said magnet.

' 7 r "7. A can 'valve for conveying cans fromone zone to another zone of different pressure'com prising, V a housing having at least two openingstherein, a rotor rotatable'within said. housing and having a plurality of can 'receiving'pockets were: in, a ca attra'cting ma net within sneer said pockets; mean ejector levermovable w'ithi said pocket;

valve for conveying'caiisirom one zone to'another zone of different pressure pent: prising,'a housing having at least two openin s therein, a rotor rotatable =withinsaid housing and having a plurality of can-receiving pocketstherein; a 'can attracting magnet within 'one 0f said pockets, an ejector lever movable within said pocket, first cam means connected to said ejector lever and second cam means adjustably positioned in said housing engageable with said first cam means.

, 9. A can valve for conveying cans from'one zone to another zone of different-pressure comprising, a housing having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within said housing and having a plurality of can-receiving pockets therein, a can attracting magnet within one of said pockets, an ejector lever movable within said pocket, first cam means connected to said ejector lever and second cam' means adjustably psitioned on said housing engageable withsaid first cam means,'said ejector lever controlling admission of said cans into saidpocket atuniformly decelerated speed and ejection of said cans from said pocket at uniformly accelerated speed.

10. A valve for conveying fromone zone to an other zone of different pressure components of a sealed can, said components including an open can and a cover therefor, comprising, ahousing having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within said housing and having a plurality of pockets to receive said components, and a magnet within one of said pockets arranged to draw a component into said pocket.

11. A valve for conveying from one zone to another zone of different pressure components of" a sealed can, said components including, an open can and cover therefor, comprising, a housing 'having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within said housing and having a plurality of pockets to receive said components,

a magnet within one of said pockets arranged to draw a component into said pocket, and an ejector lever movable within said pocket;

.- 12. A valve for conveying from one zone to another zone of different pressure components of ,a sealed can, said components including an open can and a cover therefor, comprising, a housing having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within said housing and having a plurality'of pockets to receive said components, a magnet within one of said pockets arranged to ret being offset laterally with respect to a line joining said first and third turrets, a fourth turret located adjacent said second turret and remote from said first turret, and a plurality of pockets in said turrets, whereby cans may be transferred'in said pockets of said second turret from said first turret to said third turret with smoothly curved, slight deviations from a straight line and covers for cans may be transferred from said ,fourth'turret to said third turret in said;

pockets of said second turret.

18. In a vacuum seamer, a housing, a can valve rotor rotatable partly within and partly without said housing, a seaming turret rotatable, within said housing, a feed turretrotatablewithin said housing, a cover valve rotor rotatable partly within and partly without said housing, a plurality of pockets in each of said turrets and said rotors, and means to rotate said feed turret in a direction oppositeto the direction of rotation of 'said' seaming-turret and said rotors in'timed relation thereto, whereby cans may be transferred in pockets of said feed turret from said can valve rotor to said seaming turret with smoothly curved, slight deviations from a straight line and covers for cans may be transferred from said cover valve turret to said seaming turret in a draw a component into said pocket, an ejector lever movable within said pocket, first cam means connected to said ejector lever and second cam means on said housing engageable with said first cam means.

13. A can cover valve for conveying covers from one zone to another-zone of different pressure,

- comprising, a housing having at least two openings therein, a rotor rotatable within saidhous- 5- ing and having a plurality of pockets to receive said covers, a magnet within one of said pockets arranged to draw a cover into said pocket, a cover ejector lever in said pocket, first'cam means connected to said ejectorlever, and second cam means on said housing engageable with said first cam means.

14. A can and cover feed turret having a plurality of can receiving pockets and corresponding cover receiving pockets for each .said can receiving pocket spaced thereabove and a magnet in said cover receiving pocket arranged to draw a cover into said pocket.

15. In combination, a can and cover feed turret having a plurality of can receivingpockets and corresponding cover receiving pockets spaced thereabove and a magnet in one of said cover receiving pockets arranged to draw a cover into sald pocket, and an'arcuate cover guide rail Number said pockets of said feed turret and positioned above a corresponding can.

19. A vacuum seamer as claimed in claim having a magnet in each of said pockets of said can valve rotor, cover valve rotor and feed turret.

'20. A vacuum seamer as claimed in claim 18 having a magnet in each of said pockets of said can valve rotor, cover .valve rotor and feed turret and a cam-actuated ejector lever in each of saidpockets of said can valve rotor and said cover valve rotor.

21. In a vacuum seamer, a first rotary turret valve for transferring open top cans into said seamer and a second rotary turret valveltransferring covers for said cans into said seamer, said second 'valve being positioned remote from said first valve.

22. In a vacuum seamer, a first rotary turret valve for transferring open top cans into said seamer and closed cans out of said seamer and a second rotary turret valve for transferring covers for said cans into said seamer, said second valve being positioned remote from said first valve.

WILLIAM BY'PETERSON, JR. GEORGE G. KOEBERLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 2,220,137 Wilkinson Nov. 5, 1940 2,283,181 Cabot May 19, 1942 2,352,763 Bell July 4, 1944: 

